English
road
Road comes from Middle English rode ‘ride, journey’, from Old English rād ‘riding, hostile incursion’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- ‘to ride’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*reydʰ-‘to ride’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raidō‘a ride’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raidu‘riding’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rād‘riding’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rode‘ride’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598road
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*reydʰ-‘to ride’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*raidō‘a ride’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*raidu‘riding’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150rād‘riding’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rode‘ride’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1598road
Earliest quotation: c. 1596–1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice: “Antonio: Sweet lady, you have given me life and…”
The story
The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late — Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar — and probably arose through reinterpretation of roadway (‘a way for riding on’) as saying way twice, in other words as a tautological compound.
Linked words
through Old English rād ‘riding, hostile incursion’
through Middle English rode ‘ride, journey’
Today it means
noun A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- / road